SMRTR TechJul 30, 2026TechRadar

'It’s not red, it’s magenta': How ThinkPad designers gaslit IBM to save the iconic TrackPoint

SMRTR summary

The TrackPoint, the tiny red nub at the center of every ThinkPad keyboard, almost never happened in red. IBM's strict color rules reserved red for emergency shutdowns, so designers quietly relabeled it "magenta" in all documentation. When safety officials pushed back, a multimillion-dollar ad campaign celebrating the "red" TrackPoint gave them enough pressure to back down, and the color was officially approved.

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